


Pain and Fear are One and the Same

by scyler23



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: F/M, Light Torture, one sided Jack/Pitch (very onesided)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-29
Updated: 2013-08-10
Packaged: 2017-11-27 10:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/661040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scyler23/pseuds/scyler23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack disappeared for two and a half weeks but when he comes back he flinches at shadows. This worries the other Guardians and they all ask the same question; What happened to him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prolouge

**Author's Note:**

> Me: Hey guys ! This is a Rise of the Guardians fic! I hope you all like it. Just a warning; this is going to be a little bit of a dark fic. It also happens to be my first ROTG fic. Enjoy

Falling. It was the last thing he remembered. One minute he had been flying home (home being the North Pole) and the next behead falling. It was strange; he felt the wind fighting to keep him aloft. That, and a sharp sting on the back of his neck. He tried to force his drooping eyes open but to no avail. Even so he saw the snow covered ground rushing up to meet him. Slamming into the ground he tried to keep himself conscious but was completely unable to do so. Just before his vision went completely dark he saw a tall figure walking toward him. The figure said something and laughed. His words were lost on the teen before him as he lost consciousness.

Pitch Black looked down at the pale teen in front of him. Jack Frost; the youngest member of the Guardians and the only one to have ever beaten him. It had been surprisingly simple to bring him down. A single little whip of black sand catching the nerve in the back of the teen's neck. It worked like a charm; the boy fell like a stone. Yellow eyes narrowed as he laughed again and summoned a Fearling. Throwing the unconscious winter spirit over it's back Pitch headed back to his lair. The time for his revenge was at hand and by Fear he was going to enjoy it


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, there. Chapter one here! Hope you like it and I'm sorry about the short chapters. I really am. Anyway, enjoy! Please Read and Review!

It had been two and a half weeks since anyone had seen a certain pale winter spirit. Bunnymund, who had at first been happy that the trickster was gone, was now just as worried as North, Tooth, and Sandy. The kid had never been gone that long before. Sure, he had taken off every once and a while. But that had only ever been for a few days! Two and a half weeks was a bit much. His extended absence had worried North to the point that he had summoned the rest of the Guardians. When they had arrived, North had told them what was going on. At the news  
Tooth started flitting about like a deranged humming bird. It took the big Russian about ten minutes to calm her down enough to stop flying around the ceiling. She was still flitting around, still anxious but calmer. They were all talking quietly when one of the yeti's walked up and mumbled something in North's ear.  
"You're kidding?!" the big man said looking at the yeti incredulously.  
"What, mate? What did he say?" Bunny asked sitting forward.  
"He said that Jack is outside and that he is flying really low to the ground." North replied standing slowly.  
"He is?!?" Tooth all but shrieked.  
North nodded but before he could say anything a blur of green feathers blew past him. Tooth was gone before the others could even breath. Looking back North shrugged, then grabbed his red coat and hat before following her at a more sedate pace. Bunny sighed and threw up his paws. He hopped out of the room, Sandy following right behind him on a cloud of golden sand. When they all finally made it outside they saw Tooth hugging an exhausted looking Jack. North smiled and walked over.  
"Jack." was all the big man said.  
The pale teen's sapphire blue eyes looked up at him and he smiled. It was at that moment that Tooth pulled back before asking a million and two questions. Jack chuckled and tried to answer the ones he heard but she was speaking far too fast, and many of the questions went over his head. After a few seconds he just smiled blankly at her. North, deciding to finally step in and spare the boy from an further questions, put his big hand on Tooth's feathery shoulder.  
"Toothiana, I think that's enough for now. You're overwhelming him." he said with his Russian accent.  
"Really? Sorry, Jack! You've just been gone so long and we were all worried about you!" the iridescent fairy buzzed, her wings kicking into overdrive and lifting her off the ground.  
"It's OK. I'm fine and sorry that I worried you all." Jack said with a small smile and pulling Tooth back to the ground by her wrist.  
The rest of the guardians smiled, even Bunny. The large rabbit would never admit it to his face but he had actually missed Jack's pranks. He knew that if the mischievous boy found out, he would never let him live it down. Sandy floated over and gently patted Jack on the shoulder. That was when the others noticed that the winter spirit was incredibly thin. He had always been thin, but now he looked sickly thin, as if he hadn't eaten in weeks! His sapphire blue eyes also had a darker tint around the edges that had not been there before. It was weird; his eyes had that haunted look in them - a shadow of fear rested over them now. North decided to shrug it off in favor of a big smile.  
"Why don't we go inside and talk? It would be a lot more comfortable." the big man said waving a hand at his workshop.  
"Sounds good to me. I want to change into something else first, if that's alright." Jack said, turning to North.  
"Of course it is! Why would you ask that?" he boomed.  
"Oh, no reason..." Jack said, flinching slightly at his friend's volume.  
The flinch did not go unnoticed by any of the guardians. Before he disappeared, Jack had had no problems with North's loud, booming voice; now it seemed to scare him for some reason - as did other things. The guardians could guess that something had happened to him when he disappeared. Something bad, really bad. They were determined to find out what had changed the Guardian of Fun, their friend, so much in so little time.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter two! Thank you to all who have sent the kudos! I love you all! This chapter is longer. Much longer. I hope you all enjoy and I would love to know what you all think so far. Well, enjoy!

Once the were all inside Jack was lead to a room by the yeti Phil. Tooth, who was still really worried about Jack, followed the pair silently. It was actually kind of easy for her considering that her wings barely made any noise. She noticed from her vantage point that the winter spirit jumped slightly every time a shadow moved. He relaxed right after when he saw that it was either another yeti or one of the elves. Every once and a while he would freeze parts of the floor beneath unsuspecting elves and yetis. Tooth smiled when he laughed at them but her smile faltered when she noticed that the haunted look was still in his eyes. The question of what happened to make that look appear crossed her mind but she shook it off.  
Glancing down she realized that the pair was father down the hall now. Kicking her wings into over drive she was able to catch up with them paused out side of the door for just a moment, quickly picked up on the almost imperceptible sounds made by Tooth's wings. Decciding that she had only followed becasue she was worried he didn't say anything. Jack gently grabbed his arm and looked up at him.  
"Is every thing alright, Phil?" the winter spirit asked his sapphire blue eyes looking worried.  
"Agabrad." Phil replied in yetish.  
Jack smiled but totally missed the meaning (which was "it's fine"). It was understandable; North was the only one of the guardians who understood yetish. Phil shrugged and opened the door before waving the teen into the room. Jack thanked him and walked in, closing the door behind him. Sighing the big yeti lumbered away. As he did so he shot a sparing glance at the ceiling and found Tooth hovering in the far corner. She was trying to stay out of sight; that much was plainly obvious considering that she had stuffed herself into the corner. Again deciding to give the Guardian of Memories the benefit of the doubt he walked away without letting her know he had seen her.  
Dropping down out of her cramped corner after a few moments Tooth faced the door. Briefly she wondered if she should knock but decided against it. Stepping forward she placed a hand on the knob and turned it. The door swung open silently, opening on something she had not expected to see at all. Tooth was unable to hold back a small gasp. Jack was standing by the bed with his shirt off. That wasn't what made her gasp though; the winter spirit's entire upper body was covered in thin, black scars.  
Hearing the gasp Jack spun around wide eyed. Seeing that is was only Tooth he relaxed minutely. Then he realized she was staring at him and not in a good way staring. She looked like she was about to cry. Following her eyes he cursed silently; he had taken off the plain black shirt off to pull on his usual blue sweatshirt but never made it that far. The sweatshirt was laying across the bed, ready for him to put on. As he reached for it he felt a trembling hand on his shoulder. Looking up he met her bright violet eyes and was a little surprised to see tears in her eyes.  
"Jack... What happened?" she asked in a soft voice.  
"It's... a long story. I'll tell you later..." he replied looking down and grabbing his sweatshirt.  
Stepping back Tooth allowed the teen to pull the garment over his head. She watched him move, trying to determine if had been hurt more than just on the surface. He didn't seem to have any kind of problems moving or anything like that. Tooth was distracted by a quick movement off to her right and turned slightly to look at it. As it turned out Baby Tooth had followed her. The little sprite hovered in the air for a moment, breathing heavily, before darting over to Jack. The teen blinked in surprise as a tiny ball of feathers flew into his arms but relaxed when he saw that it was just Baby Tooth.  
"Hey there, Baby Tooth. Missed me?" he asked smiling softly.  
She nodded and flitted up to nuzzle into his cheek. Jack laughed quietly as he gently rubbed his thumb over her soft head. Tooth smiled as well; he had only see ghosts of smiles on the winter spirit since he came back. Now, because of one of her sprites, he was actually smiling. Then she heard a booming voice and turned to the door. One hand flew to her mouth as she remembered; they were supposed to be in a meeting right now. Turning back she saw Jack glancing nervously behind her and her face fell.  
"Jack, it was just North. Anyway, we need to go. Everyone is waiting for us. Remember?" Tooth said reaching out to gently touch the teen's face.  
"R-right..." he mumbled, flinching back from her hand.  
"What happened to you, Jack? Before you would stand up to anything. Now, you are afraid of shadows and people getting near you. What happened?" Tooth asked her self silently moving slowly and taking his free hand.  
The pale teen tensed for a moment but relaxed after seeing something in her eyes. He allowed himself to be pulled from the room, pausing long enough to grab his staff that was right by the door. The pair walked slowly down the hall to the main part of the factory. Everyone else was already there, waiting for them. North was the first to come over. He looked mildly surprised to see them walk in holding hands by he got over it quickly. Smiling he directed them over to the empty places at the table. Both sat down but Jack seemed reluctant to let go of Tooth's hand. Noticing this Tooth scooted closer to the young winter spirit. He glanced at her, a small smile on his face.  
"Now, to business. Jack you were missing for two and a half weeks. Why?" North asked, getting right to the point.  
"Are you sure you want to hear all of what happened?" Jack asked looking at him closely.  
"Yes. We want to know." North nodded.  
\- Jack's POV -  
I took a deep breath before nodding at them. This was going to dredge up very recent memories but I had to do it. They asked to know. Looking up I decided to start from the beginning.  
"I was coming home from playing with Jamie when something stung the back of my next thing I knew I was falling. After that I blacked out, but before I passed out completely I saw Pitch walking toward me. At least I thought it was Pitch." I said, pausing when Bunny growled and the others tensed up.  
"When I finally came to we were in Pitch's lair. He had tied my wrists together with his sand. I assume that he left my staff behind because it was here when I got here. Pitch was sitting on his throne, waiting for me to wake up."  
\- Flashback -  
Pitch was sitting on his throne, looking superrior. Jack was on the floor in front of winter spirit was stirring slightly. He would wake soon. The thought made the Nightmare King smile. Soon. Soon he would be able to have his revenge on Jack Frost. As soon as he thought it Jack groaned and opened his eyes.  
Sapphire blue orbs looked around for a moment, dazed. They the focused on the dark figure of Pitch. Attempting to stand Jack only succeeded in moving into a seated position. A dark laugh rang out and dragged his focus back to the Nightmare King. Rising gracefully the tall man walked toward the seated winter spirit, grinning like a fox. The whole thing only served to unnerve Jack and make him fidget.  
"Don't try to stand up. It's impossible. I made sure of it." Pitch all but hissed at him.  
"What do you want, Pitch?" Jack growled.  
"What do you think? Revenge!" Pitch growled back bringing out a whip of sand and snapping it across the teen's shoulders.  
Jack cried out involuntarily; he hadn't been expecting the tall man to lash out like that. That one slash was just the beginning, though. Pitch pulled Jack up by his bound wrists and used more of his sand to keep the teen standing. As he circled the young man he pulled his whip of sand back and snapped it against his stomach. The sand cut through both cloth and flesh, opening a slim bloody gash. Again the whip of sand fell and another gash opened up. This continued for almost another hour before Pitch let Jack fall to the ground. He walked in front of him and reached out, grabbing the winter spirit's chin.  
"Just so you know, I took all of your powers. You are still immortal, though. That I can't get rid of... Any way, get used to this, because this is how you are going to spend the rest of your immortal life." Pitch said summoning a Fearling to take him away.  
Snorting the Fearling managed to roll Jack onto it's back. It actually tried to walk as steadily as it could but every now and again Jack would hiss in pain. Eventually they arrived at a small, dark cell. The Fearling nudged to door open and stepped i side. It was a sparsely furnished room; the only thing in it was a bed. Clopping over to the bed the black horse tried to deposit Jack onto the bed as carefully as it could. Despite this the teen's landing was a little harder than it intended. The winter spirit curled in on himself and tried to fight back tears of pain.  
A few tears managed to get past his tightly closed eyelids. The Fearling leaned down and gently touched the side of Jack's face. Turning over slightly sapphire eyes widened to see the horse's eyes change from red to blue. Right as his hand connected with the surprisingly soft muzzle the animal dissipated back into black sand. Pulling his hand back Jack curled in on himself and cried.  
The next two weeks carried on in much the same manner, with the occasional change in schedule. Pitch also saw fit to change to the duration in which he had Jack suspended. Every once and a while, beneath his screams, Jack could have sworn he heard Pitch muttering something. Every time he was finished Pitch unknowingly summoned the same Fearling, the one with blue instead of red eyes. The Fearling was surprisingly gentle with Jack. It was almost like the animal actually cared about him. The Nightmare King never noticed this strange behavior in the Nightmare but maybe that was a good thing. It allowed the Fearling to try and take care of Jack before it dissipated. Jack was grateful for what all the animal did for him after it's master was finished with him but he still knew that he had to get out.  
After two weeks, and another one of Pitch's beatings Jack was thrown back into his room by Pitch himself. The teen's body was covered in bloody lines again but all of the older marks had healed over. One thing made him worry slightly; every single one was black. It wasn't a natural color for him and it made him nervous. Jack would have pursued that thought more if he wasn't bone tired. He fell asleep quickly and it was the kind of sleep that very little could be done to wake someone up.  
After who knows how long Jack was woken by something pressing against his cheek. Blue eyes opened slowly but soon snapped into focusing when he saw the blue eyed Fearling standing next to him. It nudged him again but he stayed where he was, confused. A loud rumble had him scrambling to his feet. It was then that he realized that he was wearing a long, black cloak. The fabric was soft against the winter spirit's torn skin and he pulled it closer. Looking back up he saw the Fearling looking back at him before turning and presenting it's back to him.  
"Wait! I can't ride you! I'll pass right through you." Jack whispered sharply.  
'No you won't.' a scratchy voice said in his head.  
Jack blinked and looked around. The voice sounded like someone who had eaten a bunch of sand. Wait... Sand... His eyes snapped back to the horse. There was no way... This animal could not be talking to him. It was impossible! The Fearlings only ever talked to Pitch! This one was not talking to him. It couldn't be.  
'Actually I am talking to you. Now, we don't have a lot of time! Hurry up and get on. Pitch will figure out that this is all just a distraction soon.' the voice said and the horse shook it's mane and stamped a hoof.  
Still dumbfounded Jack climbed gingerly on. A shiver ran through the animal as he did. Blue eye widened as it changed; the sand pulled away to reveal a sleek ice blue body covered in corded muscle. Jack reached out and placed a hand against the side of it's neck, feeling the cold that radiated from it. The sand shifted and condensed around the horse, obscuring the blue once again.  
'Pull the hood up and hold on. I will be sticking to the shadows and your white hair will stand out too much.'  
Nodding even though he knew the horse couldn't see him Jack pulled the hood over his head. Leaning forward he burrows his hands in the animal's mane. The soft hair was surprisingly comforting to him and he took a deep breath. Tapping the horse's sides he signaled that he was ready to go. Shaking it's head again the horse reared up and pushed open the door. Then they were flying; Jack had to press his face into the long neck to keep his hood from flying back. The pair flew through the tunnels, easily dodging Pitch's sandy whips. At the rate they were going they would be outside any second now. As soon as he thought that they burst out of Pitch's lair.  
Jack flinched at the sudden brightness. The light! It was so bright after been trapped in the dark for two weeks. He hurried his face farther into the soft mane. As if sensing it's riders distress the changed Fearling turned toward the nearest cave.  
Once inside Jack all hut slithered to the floor. He sat there for a few moments, simply trying to adjust. Eventually he felt the horse lay down behind him. Jack leaned back and allowed himself to fall asleep again. He was still tired after what Pitch had done to him. As soon as he woke back up, though, he would head home.  
\- Flashback End - Jack's POV -  
"I slept for about half a day and when I woke up the sand was gone. Where it went I don't know or really care. We left as soon as I could get too my feet. It took us half a week to get here." I said looking down at the table.  
I heard Bunny growling in a "I'm so angry I could break something" way and Tooth, sobbing quietly beside me. North hadn't said anything yet but I dared not to look at him. Tooth scooted closer and wrapped her arms around me. Unable to do much else I leaned into her, still slightly tense. After a few moments North stood up. I looked up when he did and saw the stormy look in his eyes.  
"Jack, where this changed Fearling? Was not with when you arrived." North asked, his voice sharp.  
"We split up when we got closer. I was worried that you might attack him. He also has the black cloak." I said flinching slightly.  
North leaned back and looked at me. Warm, feathery arms tightened around me. I barely noticed as I stared at the table. Hearing North shift around I waited for him to say something else.  
"Bring it here. I wish to thank for bringing you back."


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 31 Sorry if the numbering seems a bit off. It was messing with my head for a bit but I fixed it. (I think) Anyway hope you like this chapter. We finally get to fully meet the first Iceling! Whoo! Please Read and Review

Jack closed his eyes and called out to the horse. A single moving image was all he got in response. It was a snow covered landscape flashing by at high speeds. Opening his eyes again Jack nodded at North. The big man nodded back and looked closely at him. Jack was virtually skin and bones; his eyes were sunken and his hands were thin and skeletal. It was scary to see him like this. Sure he was thin to begin with but he had never actually looked like a stick. Grabbing one of the yeti's he quietly told it to go get some food for Jack. As the yeti left Jack stood up. He had finally pulled himself away from her but she was still holding his hand.  
"He's here." was all the teen said.  
The others nodded and stood as well. They followed Jack out the front door, into the snow. At first they didn't see anything but then they saw an ice blue horse that looked just like one of the horse Fearlings. Jack held up a hand and the horse walked over to them. The rest of the guardians were tense as the beast walked up to them. He tossed his head and danced a little to one side. Looking back at the others Jack made a "stand down" gesture to his friends. Tooth was the first to relax followed by Sandy, North and lastly Bunny.  
'Jack, these people worry me.' the icy horse said to the winter spirit, pawing at the ground.  
'I know they do, but they are my friends. They want to thank you for bringing me home.' Jack thought back as he held out a hand.  
Still giving off a skeptical vibe the horse walked stiffly up to them. He gently pushed his nose into Jacks pale hand, giving the guardians a cautious look. Tooth watched as Jack calmly rubbed the ice blue muzzle. Slowly she reached out to touch the side of it's neck. Glancing over at Jack she was the teen nod and she gently placed her hand on the beast's neck. Soft-ish fur slid beneath her fingers and a cold chill numbed her fingers a bit.  
"He's cold." she said looking back at Jack.  
"Yeah. I think he's made of snow and ice now. As far as I know he no longer has any connection to Pitch." the winter spirit replied with a nod.  
"In other words, Pitch can't control him anymore. Right, Frostbite?" Bunny asked, his Australian accent more visible because of his irritation.  
"That's it exactly, Kangaroo. Oh, and before you ask, he has a mind of his own." Jack said turning back a bit to look at the irritated rabbit.  
"I'M A BUNNY NOT A KANGAROO!" Bunny shouted looking pissed.  
Jack flinched back and the ice horse stepped forward, snorting and pawing at the ground. Bunny stepped back, totally surprised. He hadn't expected the winter spirit to react the way he did. Normally Jack would have just scoffed and laughed at him. North stepped forward, growling softly. Turning the Easter Bunny held up his paws in an "I'm sorry" gesture. Stepping forward North gently pushed Bunny back.  
"It OK, Jack. Bunny just irritated and trying not to show worry. We're not going to do anything you." North said in a softer voice.  
"I know that. It's just..." Jack trailed off and looked at the ground.  
The horse leaned down and gently put his head over Jack's shoulder. Reaching up the winter spirit scratched the animal's cheek. Tooth glared at Bunny for a few seconds before turning back to the ice horse. He still had his head over Jack's shoulder but was looking at Bunny with a death glare. Sandy, who had been all but forgotten, mostly because he couldn't speak, had floated up the ice horse and was calmly looking him over. No one noticed him until he was tugging on North's sleeve. Looking down the big Russian watched the images flash quickly over Sandy's head before he nodded.  
"Jack, does he have name?" North asked.  
"Umm... He's Hiems It means Blizzard." Jack replied with a small nod.  
"It is good name. We do need to change other name though." the Russian said with a nod.  
"His other name?" the winter spirit asked looking up.  
'We can't keep calling me a Fearling when I'm not.' Hiems said nudging his master's cheek.  
Nodding the Guardian of Fun looked at the ground, thinking. Several different ideas popped into his head and due to their mental link Hiems helped narrow the options. Once they had gotten it down to about two or three Jack voiced them all. They all talked about it for a few moments before deciding on the name Iceling. It fit; they had quickly figured out that Hiems was indeed made of snow and ice. His mane and tail were ice crystals that had been gathered together while his fur was actually snow. The snow had been condensed to the point that it turned blue but still remained as soft as silk, to Jack at least. To the rest of the guardians it was soft but a little on the rougher side of soft.  
"I think Iceling is a fitting name. Jack, do you think that you can create any more Icelings?" Tooth asked, her wings now a blur behind her.  
"I have no idea. I mean, Hiems came from a Fearling so I don't know. Probably." Jack replied with a shrug.  
'I do believe that you can create more Icelings. You just do 't know how.' Hiems said shaking his head.  
"You think so?" Jack asked out loud.  
"You think so what, Jack?" Tooth asked, confused.  
"Sorry I was talking to Hiems. I keep forgetting that he only talks in my head. Sorry." he said with a smile.  
North shook his head and reached out to pat the teen on the shoulder. Jack, who was still hypersensitive to people touching him, jumped a bit. The big man looked at him a little confused but Jack waved him away claiming that it was nothing. North took it at face value and nodded slowly. Tooth was a little more concerned; she reached out and placed a hand on the white haired teen's cheek. He only tensed up a little before looking her in the eye. She nodded slowly to him. He nodded back and she dropped her hand.  
"Well, I think it time we head in, yes? Let's go." North said putting his fits on his hips.  
"Yeah, mate, let's go." Bunny agreed nodding.  
The other three nodded as well. Jack swung up onto Hiems' back, pulling the cloak into his arms as he did. The black fabric was a sharp contrast to his skin but no one commented on it. Tooth flew up beside him and smiled at him. Jack smiled back before turning to Bunny and challenging him to a race. The rabbit agreed and the two of them were off, flying across the snowy landscape. It seemed that for now things were back to normal. Tooth, North and Sandy looked at each other and wondered how long that normalcy would last before something else happened. Tooth shrugged her feathery shoulders at them and took off after the Guardians of Fun and Hope. There would be plenty of time to worry about the future later. Right now they all just wanted to relax and enjoy the fact that Jack was home.


	5. Chapter4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, sorry this took so long. I actually have quite a bit more of this story already written. I hope you'll stay tuned for when I post the rest of what I have. Thanks!

Jack and Hiems beat Bunny back to Santoff Clausen It left the large rabbit a little irritated, but not so much so that he would snap again. In fact, it was good to see part of the old Jack back. He had been acting so different ever since he returned that the return of part of his playful nature was welcomed. Bunny glared at the white haired winter spirit but there was no bite in it. Jack noticed and stuck his tongue out at the rabbit before throwing a snowball at him.   
  
Green eyes widened as the little ball of snow hit him square in the face. Hiems nickered in a way that seemed like he was laughing. Sure enough, when Bunny had wiped the snow from his face, the Iceling had his head down. Growling in a playful manner the large rabbit retaliated; he threw two snowballs. One hit Hiems in the side and the other hit Jack in the chest. Jack and Hiems topped laughing and Jack grinned. Raising his staff the teen threw a garage of snow at Bunny. Tooth, who had finally caught up to them, was caught in the wave. She squeaked in an unladylike way as the snow knocked her on her butt.  
  
  
"Tooth! Sorry! I didn't see you th-!" Jack tried to apologize but was cut off as a good sized snowball hit him in the face.  
  
  
It momentarily stunned him and he fell flat on his ass. Shaking his head the teen heard Bunny laughing his tail off and Tooth trying not to do the same. Looking up he saw Tooth was back on her feet and trying really hard not to laugh. Bunny, on the other hand, was on his back laughing as hard as he could. It was right then and there that Jack figured out who threw the snowball. Standing he twirled his staff and summoned a snowball, which he promptly threw at Tooth. It hit her in the chest and she squeaked again. Now it was Jack's turn to laugh.  
  
  
"Jack! Not fair!" Tooth shouted, smiling.  
  
  
"It's totally fair! This is a snowball fight! Not a game!" the teen called back grinning.  
  
  
With a bright laugh the winter spirit created more snowballs and started throwing them around. Bunny leaped to his feet with a yelp as three snowballs hit him in the stomach. Glaring around he saw Jack and Tooth high-fiving while Hiems was nickering loudly. Now, it was payback time. Reaching down he picked up a large pawfull of snow and threw it at the pair. Tooth seeing the large ball coming grabbed Jack and took off. Jack yelped at the sudden change in altitude. The snowball sailed under them and slammed into both North and Sandy.  
  
  
The other three stopped and stared. North wiped the snow from his face and puffed up like a hot air balloon. Thankfully he didn't look too mad. This was confirmed when he burst out laughing and picking up his own over sized snowballs. Sandy shrugged and joined in. Soon there was a massive snow fight going on outside Santoff Claussen as all of the Guardians just took the time to relax. They were all enjoying themselves, which they hadn't done in a long time. North was throwing massive snowballs at Jack, who fought back with wave after wave of snow. Tooth and Hiems were throwing snow at Sandy and Bunny. The pair was bouncing around, throwing snowballs this way and that. Hiems lived up to his name and created a mini-blizzard around Bunny. The Pooka pounded a foot against the snowy ground and disappeared. The blizzard dissipated seconds after he was gone, only because the large horse was pelted by rapid fire launch of tiny snowballs. Whinnying loudly he reared back and let himself break apart. Emerald eyes widened as the majestic animal reformed inches from his furry face.  
  
  
Stumbling back he let out a surprised yelp. Tooth, seeing an opening, took her chance and pelted the rabbit with snowballs. Growling he tried to open one of his tunnels again but found his paws covered in a layer of ice. The only way to defend himself was to fight back. He reached down and grabbed a handful of snow before throwing it at Tooth. The iridescent fairy shrieked hit her and once again she was knocked on her feathery rump. Sandy chose that moment to pounce; he had been building a large snowball which he now dropped on the Guardian of Memories. She shrieked again and threw a handful of snow at the golden man as she picked herself up.  
  
  
Jack took that moment to pull away from his mini-war with North to look at his friends. He smiled as he watched them having the time of their lives. Even Bunny was having fun and he hated the snow! Too bad his happy musings were cut short by a large snowball to the face. He fell to the ground hearing North shout triumphantly in Russian before the big mam appeared at his side. Then Jack heard a sharp intake of breath as he wiped the snow from his eyes. Opening them he saw North staring at him in horror. At first the winter spirit was confused but when as he shifted he felt the snow against his back and not his hoodie. The garment had ridden up his back and chest when he had slid down a snow bank; now his chest and stomach were visible.  
  
  
"You said there were scars but not this many..." North still staring at the winter spirit.  
  
  
Jack looked away from the big man's piercing blue eyes. Too bad the only place to look that wasn't anywhere near the big man was at himself. His jaw tightened as he saw the full extent of what happened. There were so many black lines on his skin that it took on an almost gray color. There were pricks of pale skin but they were few and far between. Jack knew his arms looked much the same, but didn't say anything.  
  
  
"North! What's wrong, mate?" an Australian voice asked as Bunny hopped over.  
  
  
North didn't say anything as the others came up. He continued looking at Jack who stared down at himself. The others were now worried. Tooth had a feeling she knew exactly what the Russian was looking at and took a deep breath. She would not break down and cry like she had earlier. It wouldn't do him any good and she knew it. That didn't stop the tears from forming in her eyes when she looked at him, though.  
  
  
"Crikey!" Bunny gasped when he looked down at the winter spirit.  
  
  
Sandy floated up beside him with a golden exclamation point over his head. Jack still refused to look at them. Hiems walked up to Tooth and nudged her. Turning she saw the pleading look in the animal's eyes. He whickered at her and she nodded. She made a small sound back to him and turned back to Jack. Dropping to her knees Tooth touched his shoulder gently.  
  
  
Jack jumped and looked up at her with wide eyes. Tooth's teary violet eyes darkened slightly when she saw that it took him a moment to figure out who she was and calm down. When he did he looked back down and pulled his knees to his chest. The iridescent fairy knelt beside him for a few moments before she reached out again and grabbed the hem of his hoodie. The winter spirit tensed but didn't look up. Looking up at North she silently begged him to help her. North nodded and dropped down beside them and reached out to pull Jack into a more upright position. Smiling softly at him Tooth pulled the blue fabric back down to where it was supposed to go before slowly pulling Jack into her arms. The teen didn't protest the action. In fact, he seemed to welcome it; his body relaxed and he allowed his head to fall to her shoulder. While she gently stroked his hair she felt rather than saw the rest of the guardians gathering around them. They were all still worried about their youngest member but it seemed that he wasn't exactly ready to talk about his injuries yet. He would open up to them about it in time, all they had to do was wait and be there for him when he was ready to talk.


End file.
